Ugandan Roads

What's the most dangerous thing in Uganda? What is causing the highest number of casualties in the country? Is it Malaria? Cholera? Snakes? War? Civil unrest? Infant or maternal mortality? HIV/AIDS or maybe even crime?
Nope, none of those... it's traffic. And here's a glimpse on why this could be the case...

Below is Kampala's taxi park. A "taxi" is actually a minibus driving on a more or less defined route without any kind of schedule. And there are gazillions of them all around Kampala and Uganda. They are absolutely reckless drivers, they are transporting the vast majority of the population and they are congesting the city like nothing else.






The other famous species on Ugandan roads are the motorcycle-kamikazes called boda-bodas. They drive anything and anybody in any numbers. First, you'll see them peacefully parked right in front of a relaxed group of turkeys right next to the road (???) and then with a variety of payloads...




In addition to the bad traffic, there are the roads. Or that thing they call "roads". They are in constant decay and potholes come up more quickly than they can be fixed. Sometimes the Ugandan Roads Authority or the City Council make a serious effort to alleviate the problems - unfortunately they either pick the Friday 5 o'clock rush hour to tarmac one of the main intersections...

...or the grade the murram road to the school at 07:50 in the morning...

...or they dump the materials to be used for road construction right in front of our vehicle so it is simply stuck...

...or just outside of Kampala, where a road is to be fixed, hundreds of humps will ruin your car's and your body's shock absorbers.

Despite all efforts, roads remain in poor conditions and patience is a virtue!




Often enough, these roads have brought us and others to our knees:





But we have actually been lucky all the time, considering the many serious and terrible incidents we have witnessed...





Nevertheless, the trust and belief in the local roads and vehicles remains unshaken...





Given those circumstances, a trip to one of the small towns upcountry reveals a somewhat peaceful and picturesque atmosphere, but actually it is a constant struggle between cars, bycicles and pedestrians...



And the roads upcountry are full of surprises - doubtful constructions, delicious bargains on the roadside, street merchants assaulting cars trying to sell all their snacks in one single minute, and Zebras that unexpectedly became a snack to the worms.




Now, after all... would I rather take a bus? I honestly doubt it...